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I don't mean maybe - this show will have you bopping!


Be Bop A Lula, Albany Theatre, Sept 24.


By Ashley Hayward

For people of my generation this show was full of nostalgia while for younger members of the audience it was probably a real eye opener.

It starts with some church organ music and an American Evangelistic preacher who concludes by saying we are about to witness the birth of rock ‘n roll.

The whole place then explodes and we are treated to many of the immortal hits of the late 1950s.

An immensely talented backing group provide outstanding support to a couple of lead singers who give us brilliant impersonations of four rock legends, Buddy Holly, Billy Fury, Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent.

They all give wonderfully energetic performances and engage superbly with the audience.

On the screen at the rear of the stage, an authentic American 1950s- style disc jockey enthusiastically introduces the various acts.

The highlight of the show for me was to see many of us ‘wrinklies’ cast aside their walking sticks and relive their teenage years by dancing and bopping in the aisles.

It is so sad to remember that the four performers in question all died very young. Holly and Cochran were in their early 20s, Vincent in his 30s while Fury (‘the British Elvis’) died from a heart attack at 43.

However what a legacy they have left behind and those rock pioneers certainly influenced countless subsequent performers as they smashed open the door into the ‘Swinging Sixties.’

The four legends are performed with well-deserved respect and affection and the whole audience are on their feet for the last number.

I won’t tell you what it is but there may be a clue in the title….



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